Coffee Fest is excited to announce an amazing line-up for its 2005 Seattle show, to be held at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center October 28 through 30. Following are just some of the show’s planned highlights:

Coffee Fest’s popular three-day specialty coffee business seminar presenters, Kent Holloway, David J. Morris, Tommy Thwaites and Greg Hartlein will host the Coffee Fest/ International Academy of Specialty Coffee (IASC) Hands-On Barista Training, sponsored by Nuova Simonelli. Classes cost $269 per person. Sessions will occur from 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well as from 1:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Coffee Fest is also excited to announce IASC Barista Certification testing at Coffee Fest Seattle.  If you are interested in being certified as a world class Barista you can now take the written test and the Hands-on simulated Café test at Coffee Fest.  If you successfully pass both tests you will receive the IASC Certificate and be included on the master certified barista list at www.coffeefest.com. Cost for the testing is $69.

Coffee Fest is hosting, in conjunction with Stirling Gourmet Flavors, the “Stirling Signature Beverage Open”, a free-form competition designed to shine a spotlight on and encourage quality and creativity in beverage making. Open to baristi, bartenders, chefs, and anyone who has a creative beverage recipe to share, this competition will occur from 12:30 until 4:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 12:30 until 2:30 on Sunday. Coffee Fest and Stirling Gourmet Flavors will award two cash prizes of $500 each—one for best-tasting beverage and one for most creative beverage.

The ever-popular Millrock Latte Art Competition presented by Tea & Coffee Trade Journal will feature some of the country’s finest baristi going head-to-head in a rich and effervescent display of coffee creativity. Preliminary rounds will occur from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, the top ten competitors from the previous two days’ competitions will face off and the Free Pour Latte Art Champion will be crowned. The winner will walk away with $1,000, 2nd place with $500 and 3rd place with $250. Coffee Fest has posted the all-time Latte Art Money Leaders at www.coffeefest.com.

Hands-on Latte Art classes are workshops are available at Coffee Fest Seattle.  Six hands-on classes will occur, including two each on Friday and Saturday and one on Sunday. Each Latte Art class, to be held at Coffee Fest’s Millrock Latte Art Competition venue, will be limited to six students. Friday and Saturday’s classes will occur from 12:30 until 2:30 and 3 until 5. Sunday’s class will happen from 12:30 until 2:30. Admission for each class is $99.

In addition, Coffee Fest will hand a groovy custom-made reusable burlap gift bag to the first 1,500 attendees who hustle through the door. The gift bags will be chock-full of great items, including one pound of fresh-roasted coffee from Fidalgo Bay Coffee Roasters, a TimeMug coffee tumbler, a package of Smooth 'N Melty Mints with Nonpareils from Guittard Chocolate Company, a scented pen from Java Jot, a one-year subscription to Barista Magazine, and a vegan cookie and brownie from Epic Foods Inc.

And last, but certainly not least, Coffee Fest invites attendees and exhibitors to “Get Down Tonight” at a special reception featuring KC and the Sunshine Band! All 24 members of the band will rock the Exhibition Hall at Seattle Center on Saturday, October 29, 2005 exclusively for Coffee Fest Attendees. The reception will kick off at 6 p.m. with food and beverages, followed by amazing music by The Afrodisiacs followed by KC and the Sunshine Band.

This special evening has been made possible by these generous sponsors: Da Vinci Gourmet, Oregon Chai, Jet Tea, Dillanos Coffee Roasters, Java Jacket, International Paper, Design & Layout Services, Ambex Coffee Roasters, Specialty Coffee Association of America and Forza Coffee Roasters.

Tickets to this special event are $15 each, while supplies last. Note: Only 900 tickets will be available for registration, so “Shake Your Booty” to your phone and call 425.283.5058, ext. 13 or visit Coffee Fest’s website at www.coffeefest.com today to ensure your ability to dust off and “Put on Your Boogie Shoes”!

All of the above is in addition to Coffee Fest’s usual spectacular line-up of more than 65 educational sessions and focused exhibition featuring more than 265 booths for specialty beverage retailers to visit. Coffee Fest is dedicated to the growth and proliferation of the specialty coffee, gourmet tea and alternative beverage industries. More information can be obtained at www.coffeefest.com or by calling 425.283.5058.